Nonrefillable closure for bottles and other containers



July 28, 1936. G. JACKSON 2,048,700

NONREFILLABLE CLOSURE FOR BOTTLES AND OTHER CONTAINERS Filed Sept. 4, 1954 lli BY y

AT ORNEY Patented July 28, 1936 NONREFILLABLE oLosUltoR Bo'mLclis.A

c c Y ANT) OTHER' ooNTATNERs Gilbert Jack sqn, NewYomNgY. Application september 4, i934, `serial, No, '142,696

6 Claims.

' Mydnvention relates tofclosures andcit particularly relates to non-rellable closures forbottles and similar liquid containing receptacles. l

In my Patent No. 1,348,116, vdated July '27, 1920 ;and in my copending application. Serial No. 697,892, filed November 1,1933, I have disclosed non-rellable bottle closuresor caps whichrhavre for their objects the prevention-ofthe refilling of bottles after they had been emptied.

In said patent there was disclosed a hollow valvemember which cooperated -with a cylindrical valve seat inserted in the mouth of the bottle. Above the valve and the valve seat was posi-v tioned a movable ball. The ball was confined bellfatween the valve member on one side, and at the other side contacted with a concave contact member.

As disclosed in said patent, theI Valve member; This porousv was preferably of a porous material; material was of such a nature that the valve, when wet, would attach itself rmly to-its seat when the bottle was upright and yet not prevent said valve leaving its seat, when the bottle was inverted.

A In said copending application there was dis-- closed a non-rellable bottle closure similarly pro-c vided with a movable ball, but in which the movable ball was thrown into locking position by means of a conical support member when the V- bottle was placed upright so that it was not pos-V sible to place any liquid in the bottle through the closure when the bottle was in` this position.

However, the closure of thiscopending applica tion was preferably of molded material, such as 35,, bakelite, and for some purposes it was found that bakelite materials were not altogether satisfactory, as they tended to give a taste and/or odor to certain types of liquids which might be con-1 tained in the bottle or container.

40@ Further difliculties were experienced inasmuchas the locking ball members often would wedge in locking the valve of the closure, and in such case it was necessary to shake or knock thebottle to move the ballto open position when'the bottle 4.51was inverted, which was undesirable.

An object of the present invention is to pro-n be most inexpensively and easily constructed from readily available materials, as Vforexamp1e, ce-` 55v ramic materials. Y

Anotherobject is to provide la non-rellable bottle closure of the type above described in which the` closure ispositively effected and the valve. is forced positively to its seat when the bottle is not-inv inverted discharging position. f 5

Another object is to provide a bottle closure of the ball locking type, such as above described, in which the ball will not-be wedged when locking the closure in non-reilllable condition, and in which theballrwill'most readily moveirom lock- 10 ing to-.un-locking-'positiom depending upon the position of c Vthe container from which the liquid isto be dispensed. e f A Other objects willY appear during they course of the following specification. n Y

Y In accomplishing-the objects of the present invention ithas been found most suitable in-one embodiment to provide avalvevcasing having an upper closure,V exteriorly exposed,v and a lower' opening to communicate with the Vinterior of the 20 c on taner.orbottle. The lower'portion of the valve casing may be of a decreased diameter so as to fit convenientlyjintojthe neck of the-bottle", a `shoulder being preferably provided on the casingV to limit insertion thereof; Y.

Interiorly positioned in the valve casing is a valve-member preferably of hollow construction, thelower end of which valve member is conformed setas .to cooperate with a valve seat interiorly formed inthe bottom of the casing adjacent the 30 interior' opening thereof above described. In the upper part of said casing ispreferably provided-a ball which cooperateswltha concaved lmember in the upper part of the casing and with a conicaly orl other domed portion at the top of the movable va ve. l

./In.producing-` the closure of the present inven-4 tion from ceramicmaterials, it has been found mostdesirable to Vform the outer casing in two sectionsa .lower casing; having a reduced diam- 40 eter withY satisfactory clearance to fit into a neck of the bottle; and thenpper casing at its lower end being interiorly shouldered and exteriorly ilangedhthe lnteriorshoulder being for reception:

of the: lower external casing -member and the external flange being designed for cooperationxwith a corresponding ilangeuat the top of the bottle; and an j-aluminum-ferrule-together with an immediatercork gasket enabling a most satisfactoryv and permanent Vliquid tight connection between the-closure and thebottle.

. iThe .lowerA external casing member pref-.- erablydesignedvto receivefa hollowceramic valve membervwhichfhas a-curved seat to-fit a corre spondingly; fprnied seat lin thelower casing mem-I 55 e In the shown one or more of various'p'ossible embodigi` berfwhile the upper external casing member is preferably `designed toreceive the locking ball and preferablycontains said concave member which vpermits the ball to fall away from the valve when the bottle is in invertedpouring position;

, The conical or Ydomed portion atithe top of the movable'valve'is preferably formed'so that on all sides of the central peak it will have a curved con- V tour whichwill approximate Vthe curvature orf. the*` ball. L Y accompanying drawing in which yare merits'of the several featuresof y the invention,

' Fig. l is a longitudinal orosssciionalviewoff the non-refillable sealing device of my'irlventlon';Y

Fig. 2 is transverse sectionalviewuporrthe lines` j 2-2 of Fig.j1.

rig. 3 is a transverse seiio'ii line 3*-3 ofFig. 1. 1 v i i Eig, A. Vis a topview Vof, the yconical portion `at view theY position ofthe ballo.

,g Fig. 5V is a tooperspeetive viewfo: VtheY hollow valvernember with itscoyer portionVv removedz'- f 'Referringto'Fig 1 B. is'provideofwitliaoylindriool mouth "l o; *The bottle is adapted'- to rjeceive'f'alcoholicV beverages o r any'other liquid to 'bediepen-sed.- 'I'heupper c'yliri-` Y drical Yvalve easing! riemberjIZ! isl provided with a lower insert portir'ln4 I-"3V of educeddiameter-,fwhich is'inserted inthe opening I0 inthe mouth or neck ofthe bottle B,`preferably=with aislight clearance.

The lower insert portion-isprovidedfwith a; flange irai-its; upporoiie, whioli-fit's-inro the shoulder s on `thieinterior of the-upper easingse'ction VI 2*; the

Yupper section I2- `andthe lower section I3 being held'together byjrneansfof' th/esealingwax 1, which is preferably 'of arnater-ial not'aflfected' by alcoholic Y beveragesfor'- otherY liquids which ybe conf f f It isnoiod that' shorshouldorfa is enlarged at, t-v

Vcasingl I2i`s also providedwith'aneiterior flange Il which cooperates with ajcorresponding'pr j fiction4 -|-590n the'Y bottle,V the* anger 'lll'ndj the flange'VV l5 bein hole 'together-.ley thealuminum ferrule I 6, ,saldialuminumw ferruleY Icolrlltyresslng thev corkk gasket 52'y vbe sof;

#Ehe casing I3 isfprovidedf with-'a`- ,lower opening 1FL-th ulillr-'-llartV of which isfprovided with'thesphericalfdepressiorrffi Yabove the groove'- H, said depressioniv I9 serving' asial valiieseat'to V cooperate' Vwith the sphericalsurface on the valve meml V1 and-'5 consists of a cylindrical hollow cup--slraped'V body 122,`exteriorly-provided with symmetrical-ly spaced fil-ls 237: '(seealsofFigBll :The rl's"lil-'ceri-VV .f trally locate thevalve within the'lowerf chamber 24jofthelowereasirigflnember|313"V j f Y LThelOWerpart'ofthe valvefmember 2|", as in? Y dicated at 25,- projects downwardly past'the conical' valvesetIS'il-ito-:the opening" I1 and islslightly" attened, Sas-indicated' at 26, ,duringv theV -course berizaof ino-casing `2 withrhe--foriiiationorthe-' 1 ow; passages. l-2 8, which! 'permit- 1ready- *egressl 1 of liquidfrromxlio mootnl n of ftheY loomile-l'fpsseihe ofthev fins are cubed-:substantially 'above-the bot t'om'v26, asi'ndicated .at`21f ('see'Figs". ,1i and 5)-,A so-V "itllatrthey willlclearthevalvelseatlib I *As shown inFig. 3, thens23'space the 'cylinj dric'al bodyzz'ffi'om -tl'ie' {Wallsof the lower chamthe bfttle'or other containerwem-nie flanges {ramil5 to valve body 2I, when the valve is lifted from itsY seat I9.

`The upperzportion's ofthe fins of the valve body y:

22, are also cut off below thetopof the valve body 22, as shown at 29 in Figs. 1 and 5. Into the upper portion of the cupV 22 vis inserted the lower f contact elementi-30 for the locking ball3l. The contact element 30-contacts at its lower top with the top face-oi the-Valve member- 2| :and is pref?V erjably ceramicallyuntied therewitl'l. `jfhe sides of the disk member 30 extend beyond the body 22. Y

nedfin- ,thel interiorfrof` ,the cup 34 giving it' buoyancy.' The vupper-,part of theV ball contactY member 3l suitably shapedrto cause the ball- 3 I as shown in Fig. 1,.to roll outwardly of the casingY I2 againstrthe interior'wallof the middle orinter-V mediate chamber Y35, when the bottle is upright.

In the present invention a curvedconical Ysurfacey 36 is shown, but it is' understood that other similar types of' surfaces may lbe "employed for causingthe ball to' roll toward thewall. of theV middle chamber'35 of the casing I2. f

` s shown i Figs;1 and 2 inthe upperchamber Contact member' is preferablyiceramically'unltedj Vwith, the symmetrically positioned angulagrflns 3917 VV0f thecasing -I 2.

r'he concaviltyor depressionof the element` 38, as shown in 1, is'adapted to receivegthe: ball 3| V'when thefcasing I2 is inverted .withtheV bottle I." thebottle isl in normal upright posltiomfas shown in 'Fig; v-L-the ball ,-3:I will bei divertedv Vto the f outside v-of thechamberS35i-by:l the coneV 36p-so Ythat the'jball 3| will fallor `roll along lthe slope of' thef-uppergcontact member of the corre 3Irof 'the-lower contact member 301,A` -as indicatedin Fig.- l, Yto ,below the lower edge. 4

i When the contact member 30Y is eerarnicallyY Y `united with the body 22, a body of air will'be con- As indicated inl` Fig. 2, thens 39 will form thef A flow passages,symmetrically positioned around These flow N thev peripheryof "the chamberV 31.

Vpassages 42 willV cooperatek with'the flow passages f 28 of Fig, v3 to permit l-iquid'ltoi flow'lpast the valve 2l and the concave contact mein-berl 38.

The casingelement I2 is provided with acenteropening -wh-chl cooperates with the pas,-

Y sages- 42 pastfthe concave contact 'member 3814 andY the passage 28' pastY the v'alvermembier2lfandVA casing 'IL-'whereby l-iquijd may fbepoured out'of' the inverted bottle lyjwhen the valve 27| isliftedV fromits seat I=9-. 1 Y Y i operation, when the-bottle is in upright po'si- 1 tiorifo'r yis'Y inl horizontal position,E theiball 3|- will.1 slide orlroll overthe cone' 36 tofthe side of the? chamber 35', contacting-with the interiorrwallsf 'Y thereof, as indicated'atlig. 1;V When therballg positionitself betweenfthe outer lower"portion-'J`YV Mjjof the upperconcave contact-member Stand f thev lowerV domed contactjmember 3 9 "and willE forcethe valve 22 against'itsseat VI9,'preyerltir'igfV ow ofY liquidi reversely from the Yopening 1.50T andf through thezoperl-ing I'If into the=bott1er 0, so Vthat the bottle jcannot relled" f ,When-'thebottle Vhas been turned-so that "its" mouth isinclined downwardly fwitll an inclina-1' tion substantially below horizontaliapproachingf 1 the'vertic'alinverted position, the'ball 3I vwill roll or slide into fth'e'concavity' 40. Thisfwill permit pressure of liquid in -Vthebottle I0; whereby'ai ready exit of liquor may take place tmugithe ,755'

25.."V 3'Ii'ofj`t-he casing I2 v'is positioned, the ct'lncaveballVV contact' memberi38 with the-'radial ribsIS-,which with the openingY IfI in theY 1ower'part..of-the"f upper contact member 38.

opening I1, the passages l28 land 42 and the openball :from locking to unlocking?V 'position .withAA concavityof the depression 40. In any case, at

the axis of the combination at 5| there wouldcrease so .thatV the ball will have substantially no` clearance as it movesV under the influence' of gravity-along the domed surface 36 toward the exterior lof the chamber 35 and away from the axis 5I. Y

The entire structure shownrmay' be formedof various ceramic materials, the ball, however, being'most satisfactorily. of .a hard glass.

.-It. will be noted Ythat no matter how much the device is shaken or joggled when in upright position, the bottle will not be open for refilling. Itis not possible to insert any Velement through the-opening 50 which will permitopening of the valve 22. It may be noted that there is no direct passage for the insertion of a pin or similar element from the opening 50 into the chamber 35 for moving the ball back toward the axis 5I of the structure, since the passageways 2B commu-` nicate with the space inside of the fins 44. It is` necessary for the liquid flowing to the opening 50 from the chamber 35 to ow first to the side of the passages 42 before entering the passages 42 in passing across themain body 43 of the The present construction is particularly ad vantageous inasmuch as it is possible to makel the valve member 2| of a ceramic material. By

permanently positioning the upper contact ele-k ment 4| ceramically in the manner shown, thev expanse of construction is materially decreased.

The provisionof four flow passages 28 past the' valve casing 2|, and three ow passages 42 past the upper contact member 38 assures a more even and better exit of liquid when the bottle is invertedfor dispensing purposes.

The recesses |38, shown in Figs. 1 and 4, cooperate with the recesses I3I (see Fig; 1) in the bottom of the Valve member 22, in the bottom of the casing member I3, and by means of theseY recesses suitable tools may be applied to the casing member I3 and to the valve member 22,'

whereby the seats I9 and.2|lmay-be ground-together to form a close formation. VPreferably the corresponding valve face 2|] and the Val-ve seat IS are preformed but during the process of firing the surfaces will become non-conforming and. this grinding operation has been found most desirable.

These tool receiving recesses may take a varietyV into the cavity 40 and the rate of pouring may then be controlled by inclining the inverted bottle away 'from the vertical position, the greater the inclination from said vertical position, the less the pouring rate. The curvature on the lower valve ContactY member 30 prevents jammingnof nhg-ball 37| and'assuresgready movement of the :The upper face of the lower ball contact-memberr- 3U may also bey domed to conform with the' proper-positioningfof the bottle. i.' Y Y Y lThe upper and lower casing membersV I2: an I3, the valve body 22, the valve cover`30, and the upper ball contact member 4I are allpreferably formed :of awhiteoeramic clay'material, and infiring these materials, theupper -ball contact element 4 I, and the upper 'outer'casing 'I 2 and the Vvalve body 22 and` its Acover element V3i) are' fired in the position they take in theV final device', shown in Fig. 1,V so that they will beVA integrally and-ceramically united into' a unit. The outersurfaoe of the casing I2 is preferably glazed, but the'other surfaces areV preferably unglazed.

Inr'ring tofpermit vthe upper edge |33 of the casing I2 to be glazed, it is 'desirable that it'v'be fired in upright position, as shown in Fig. 1,A and `to dorso and atV the same time maintain the upper ball contact element 4I in'contact with the fannular ribs A39, it is necessary that the lower'casingelement I3 be positioned inside of the 'upper 3D has been substantially integrallyunited withV the valve body 22 by the firing operation, the valve will be slightly porous. To prevent Aany air from escaping from the interior of the Valve body, and also toprevent any liquidfrom enter-V ing the valve body maintaining its buoyancy, it is desirable to impregnate the'valve body 22 after the ring operation with a suitable liquid wax or other water-proofing material, which will not be soluble 'or affected by any liquids which mayY the button |34 serves as a convenient means ofv centering thel element '4I upon the ribs 39, andV the ribs 45 in-the'cavityl prevent the ball from being adhesively connected to the, cavity 4I) when it is wet. 'Ihe fact that the ball is not wedged, shown inf Fig. 1, maybe readilydemonstrated by the fact thatthe ball can freely move around the `peakkof the lower contact element Sil, without, however, permitting 'the valve 2| to be moved from its seat.

vAs indicating in Figs. 1 and zat |35, the X- terior of the valve body I2V is preferablyV providedV with a series of indentations or protrusionswhich enableA the body to b-econveniently gripped' by a tool when the aluminum ferrule I6 is .put into position. v What is claimed is:

1. Inl a non-refillableclosure Vfor liquid conof' decreased diameter to be inserted Yinto theztop of` the container, the upper casing being provided vwith a shoulder in a Yrecess interiorly of the lower tacked by alcohol, and being also provided at its,Y

lower edgeY with han external Vflange connected in aliquid-iightrashioaby a sagem@ a 'meal-.j

through said upper lic ierrnle tothe-'topofafbottleaid casings-eachf being provided with interior chamberspthelower.A chamber being .provided with; a: centerwopening' into.'V the bottle. and theupperV chamber'being` pro4` vided with 'an outside pouring. opening; therlower' chamberV receiving-av hollow.` valvemember; 'and'.

" 1 theupper chamber.'receivingga'ballilockjniitsr Vlower'. partand an. upper'jball contact. memhem.

the valve member Vbeinggr'arovided VVat .1ts..-/upperk Y face withV a centrally'peaked laterally.and` corl'V cavely. curvedconical face` cooperating'with the u' ball lockV and with anrrannularsphericalelikevalve: face at its bottomcogper'ating; with:V a: corre.- spondngly ground valve seat. in saidflower casing,

l5 said ,concavely-:curved' conical facef serving.: to

Q cause the ball' to fall ltowardzthe exterior 'ofisfaide Y upper interior eharmber'when* the. closure is yuri-- right 'andthe upper ballY contactl member being:

Y provided with a rib-faced 'central' spherical .con-.-

2,0Y cavity' kfor receivingvsaid. ball when the closure= isV in invertedpostiomwh'ereby said:.valve: facev may be removedffromsaidvalve seatlbytheiorce of gravity andthe forceV-of-.therliquid-in the bottle;- Y saidvalve being-.provided with a. plurality. ofL jvertical centering-fins and saidfuppercasingbe. ing provided.. with afplurality ofvfins` togpermit'.`

free Aflow of liquid Aout e through thef closure whensaidclosure is" in inverted position? i- In. a non-rellablefclosureor material for.

liquid. containing bOttlesand-Other 'containersyaY ceramic casing provided1 with afnipple-portion of decreased diameter to be1 inserted: into 'theA topof a bottle with Van external.,flange,-to` contact with Y Y the top of the bottleA andlimit'the insertion ofi' Y --the cylindrical'memben. said casing bein'g'pro vided with two chambers; the lower chamber 'being provided with a. center opening into the bottleandY the upper chamber being provided/with; a. pouring opening,;thef`lower chamber receiving` a;

` hollow. Vcylindr-ical-like'wvallve member and theupper chamber. receiving 'a ball..lock and anupper ng' ball Ycontact'Ymember, the. valvel member being provided with'afspherical face at its lower end Vco.-` operating with a sphericalgvalve seatin Ythe lower j'- part of the. lowermost; chamber ofsaid'casing,V

the upper portion of [saidrvalvepbeing provided Y with a: curved Vcentrally'peaked surface for con-' vtact with the, ball, causingesaid Vball toroll toward .the exterior of said upper. chamberandVr the upper'.

contact memberV being provided Witha ribbed'v center concavityfor receiving said ballV when. the.

' bottle is in Yinverted position, whereby said valve:

member may be removed from said Valve-seat by the force of Y gravityand the.V force. ofY .the liquid 2 in the bottle.V "i

g Inanonfrefillable'bottleclosure ofthe ball'k v locking type, a' ceramic casing with a nippIe.por-.

tion for insertion Vintoa bottle, afreciprocable ceramicfvalve'member *and*V a ball therein, `said.

. 640 ivalve member and' said casing. being'jprovided;

' with ballV contact members, whereby said ball'Y e locks said'valve in closed position when the bottlej f is in upright position and permits it to. open when in inverted pouring position,. said'V casing. contact.

f V memberand said casing. being. united by ceramic liquid'fcontaining bottles jandl other' containers; a Y ceramic casing provided with' anipple portion'of'l l `YV1170 "decreased diametertobe inserteddntoithe top'of f abottle with.anexterr'i'a'l` flange tocontact witlr the top: ofthe bottlel andv limit' the insertionl "ofYV the closure, saidY casing'being provided withtwoV l chambers, thelower chamber beingprovided; with ienter opening Vinto the bottle and' theuppen amazon Y e Y chamber'beingprovidediwitha pointing:jopening1;.V the lower chamber receiving a hollow elongated;V

valve member andthe upper 'chamber receiving Y a1ballloek and an Yupper ball contact mernben,H f the valve member being. provided with an annular '5.

curved face. at `itsi lowergendV cooperating with?. a.:

correspondingly shaped'valve seat inthe lower VVpartoffthe: lowermostchamber of said casing, the

upperportionpf said valve :being provided with a centrally peaked surface for contact-withY the ball; lvi

lock, causingv said ball Yto roll toward the exterior;

of Vsaidf` upper'chamberwhen the vclosureV isup.-V

right, and* the uppercontact memberbeingfproff vided withl a central concavity kfor receiving; said; e

ballxlock whenzthegcl'osure .is'in inverted posi.'- 155.7.

tion, whereby said valve member may be removed from said valve seat by the force Yof gravityl and theforce of the liquidlinfthe bottle, said valve" member being. of. a ceramicl material and being;

treated so-as to be substantially non-porous` and 20L-' said. 'annular curved face and`- saidvalve. seat be ing ground together. Y 53.111. a nonr--rellable closure of material for liquid Vcontaining bottles and? other containers,.a

ceramic casing .provided with a nippleportionof; 252

decreased diameter tobeinserted into thetop'oi` av bottle with an external ange `to contact with the top of? the bottleV and limitthe insertion of.'Y

the closure;V saidv casing Vbeing' provided :with two..

chambers, the lower'chamber'being providedwith.30"`

a; center opening into the bottle and the upper"- cha'mber'beingnprovided with a',A pouring opening,Y the lower chamber receiving' alhollow elongated valve member and-the'upper'chamber receiving a ball lock and an upperball contactirmember.,Ithef35 .Y

valve'member being provided-wither; annular curved face at'its lower end*cooperatingfwithfa' Y correspondingly shaped valve seat Ain rthe lower apart of' thelowermost chamber of said casingftheVVV upper portion'of said'valve being provided with 40 a centrally peaked. surface'for. contact with the ball lock, causing said. ballV to rollxtoward'the exterior of said. upper: chamber when the closure- .is upright, and theiuppercontact member beingi provided'witlra centrallconcavity for receiving 45:y

said'ball lock when the closure is inY inverted position, whereby saidfvalve lrnember'may be removed from said valve' seat by the., force of gravity'andf the :force of the' liquidrinthe bottlegfsaid peaked'.

surface:` .being concavel'y; curvedl downwardly 570V 1 from the central peak,. the .curvature of` whichr is.. approximately-the*curvatureof the ball, whereby theball may freely run around said .center peaked w Yportion'whileloclringsaidvalVemember iniposi-A Y tion. Y f

` 6. In; anon-refillable closure.; of materialY for; liquid containing bottles, and.` other containers, a Y ceramic.; casingrprovidedzwitha nipple portion ofYV decreased diameter to beinserted into the topiof a. bottle with an external flange to contact with 601 the top.` of: the'lbottleiandlimit the. insertion of' the closure. said casing. being provided with two;V

chambers; the lower chamber. being; provided with)Y a centerV opening' intothef bottle. .and :the upper chamber being providedwith a1 pouring opening;Y 65

the lowerchamber receivingzaf hollow; elongatedI Q e Y valve :member and the .upper chamber receiving a V ballV lock andan upper ball contact.. member, the

. Valve member .being provided 4with Yan Vannular` curved face at its lowerend 'cooperating' withaa 701.Y

correspondingly shaped' valve seat in the lower pant of Vthel'owerz'nostchamber ofY said casing, the upper portion of saidl valvev bengprovidedwith a centrally peaked surface fjorcontactpwi'th ther- 1 ball lock. causing saidfballto roll-'toward *the the top of said bottle and the contacting ange on said closure being separated by a compressiblegasket and a metallic ferrule encircling said flange and pressing them tightly together and compressing said gasket.

GILBERT JACKSON. 

